MEADVILLE, PA, USA
N739EC
CESSNA 172
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON A SOLO CROSS COUNTRY. WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 2000 FEET, THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT SAID, 'I DID THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND IT STARTED AGAIN, BUT IT QUIT VERY QUICKLY. I PICKED A FIELD TO LAND. IT WAS OK, UNTIL THE NOSE HIT SOME MUD AND FLIPPED ME OVER.' AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE BY THE FAA REVEALED NO DEFECTS. THE FAA REPORT SAID, 'THE ENGINE RUN UP SHOWED NO ABNORMAL READINGS...BOTH CARBURETOR AND FUEL SCREENS WERE...FREE OF CONTAMINATES...THE CARBURETOR HEAT, MIXTURE CONTROL AND THROTTLE CONTROL WERE INSPECTED: NO DEFECTS WERE NOTED.' THE LOCAL TEMPERATURE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS REPORTED AS 70 DEGREES F, AND THE DEW POINT WAS 51 DEGREES F. WHEN PLOTTED ON THE FAA CHART 'CONDITIONS FAVORING CARB ICING,' THE RESULT SHOWS AREA NUMBER 2, SERIOUS ICING AT CRUISE POWER.
THE IMPROPER USE OF CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN THE TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND THE SUBSEQUENT EMERGENCY FORCED LANDING IN ROUGH TERRAIN. A FACTOR RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LACK OF EXPERIENCE OF THE STUDENT PILOT.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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